Ascent Passport
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Ascent category — rock climbing
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Ascent area — Western Caucasus, Gvandra region
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Peak Dalar, 3979 m
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Route — via the left part of the north-eastern wall of the bastion, first ascent, proposed 6A category of difficulty
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Route elevation gain — 1430 m, route length — 1740 m, average slope — 68°, bastion wall elevation gain — 760 m, bastion wall length — 780 m, average slope — 80°. section lengths
- category 5 — 800 m
- category 6 — 320 m
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Pitons used:
| rock | bolt | chock | ice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 132 | 10 | 148 | 4 |
| 25 | 3 | 30 | 0 |
- Team's travel days — 5, travel hours — 32
- Overnight camps on the route — 5 (all bivouacs)
- Team of the Federation of Alpinism and Rock Climbing of Kiev (club "Vertical") consisting of: Pavel Slyusar, MS — captain, Grigory Zinenko, MS — coach
- Started the route: August 5, 2004. Reached the summit: August 9, 2004, returned to the camp: August 10, 2004.
General View of the Route
V. Kavunenko's route (from the library of route descriptions of the "Uzunkol" camp, Appendix 1);
V. Kavunenko's route (from the report of the first ascent group in 1964 from the Federation of Alpinism of Russia, Appendix 2);
B. Korablin's route,
M. Warburton's route (both — from the library of route descriptions of the "Uzunkol" camp).
Team's route
North-Eastern Wall of the Bastion
V. Kavunenko's route (from the library of route descriptions of the "Uzunkol" camp, Appendix 1);
V. Kavunenko's route (from the report of the first ascent group in 1964 from the Federation of Alpinism of Russia, Appendix 2);
B. Korablin's route,
M. Warburton's route (both — from the library of route descriptions of the "Uzunkol" camp);
Team's route.
Wall Profiles
Area Map
Overview of the Ascent Area
Dalar (3979 m) is one of the most beautiful peaks in the Caucasus. Dalar is located in the Gvandra region of the Western Caucasus within the Central Uplift of the Main Caucasian Range, 25 km southwest of Elbrus. The peaks of this region are composed mainly of strong granite-gneiss rocks with a minimal number of cracks and smoothed microrelief.
The main peaks of the Gvandra region: Kirpich (3800 m), Dalar (3979 m), Dvoinyashka (3830 m), Zamok (3930 m), and Trapezia (3743 m) generally have no easy routes: their walls are among the most challenging in the Caucasus.
The chain of peaks Filter – Zamok – Dvoinyashka – Dalar – Shokoladny peak, located in the upper reaches of the Kichkinekol gorge, bounds the Bolshoy Kichkinekol glacier cirque from the east, west, and south, giving rise to the river of the same name, which flows into the Uzunkol river.
The Svan people call the gorge and the river, originating from the southern spurs of the peak, "Dalar", linking the legend of the goddess of hunting Dali with the location of her throne ("ar" means here). The Karachay people call this peak Kichkinekol Suyru, meaning "Big sheer cliff in Kichkinekol". Indeed, the northern slopes of the peak drop off with a kilometer-high sheer wall onto the glacier at its foot.
The first ascent of Dalar was made in 1937 by a group led by Kizel and Budanov via the 4A category route from the Dalar pass. Currently, 16 mountaineering routes have been laid out to the summit, among which four routes are of 6A category and six routes are of 5B category.
The routes on Dalar are classic examples of technically complex mountaineering and have repeatedly taken prize places in the USSR and Ukraine championships. By now, the sporting potential of the peak is far from being exhausted due to the large extent of its northern, north-eastern, and eastern walls: Dalar continues to attract the attention of mountaineers making first ascents.
One of the most interesting and challenging paths to Dalar is the north-eastern wall. In B. I. Delaunay's book, we find a mention of it: "...the completely smooth north-eastern wall of Dalar..." ("Peaks of the Western Caucasus (guidebook)", FiS, 1938, p. 62).
A route by B. Korablin (1975) of 6A category passes through the right part of this wall. The neighboring route to the left by V. Kavunenko (1964) of 5B category already goes along the eastern wall. Both routes were climbed in their time at the USSR championships in the class of technically complex ascents and became notable events in Soviet mountaineering. Even now, they remain recognized benchmarks of sportsmanship.
The object of our team's ascent was the unclimbed left part of the north-eastern wall of the bastion, approximately halfway between B. Korablin's and V. Kavunenko's routes. The new route harmoniously and worthily complements the existing paths to Dalar, logically filling the "vacant" gap of the wall about 300 meters wide.
The close location of the "Uzunkol" alpine camp, relatively short approaches to the peak, and the wide development of the area create favorable conditions for ascents on Dalar. However, even with the best condition of the wall route, the approach to it is hindered by the heavily crevassed upper part of the Bolshoy Kichkinekol glacier.
It is possible to approach the route from overnight stays in the green pocket of the left-bank (orographically) lateral moraine of the Bolshoy Kichkinekol glacier (3–3.5 hours' walk from the "Uzunkol" camp). From the overnight stays, it takes 2 hours to approach the route.
The climate of the ascent area does not differ significantly from the Dombay area, although the proximity of Elbrus and the significant heights of the gorges leave their mark on the weather in this region, making it more severe and capricious. August is typically characterized by warm weather and moderate precipitation, making this period the most preferable for complex ascents. However, weather deterioration can occur rapidly and without visible signs, to which one needs to be prepared during the ascent.
Route Diagram in Symbols
Route Profile
Route elevation gain — 1430 m Route length — 1740 m Average slope — 68° Bastion wall elevation gain — 760 m Bastion wall length — 780 m Average slope — 80°
Route Description by Sections
| Section | Section Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Approach to R0 | Heavily crevassed glacier. Difficult crossing through a randkluft (fixed rope). Start of the route — from a narrow ice bridge under a small rock overhang (good protection from possible rockfall). | Seracs! |
| R0–R1 | Vertical crack under the overhang. Then — left into the inner corner. | |
| R1–R2 | Difficult traverse right along smooth slabs under a waterfall. | Rockfall! |
| R2–R3 | R2 — in the left part of the waterfall. Traverse right under the waterfall (flowstone!). Then — wall to the right of the overhanging inner corner. | Rockfall! |
| R3–R4 | From under the overhang — right, then along gray slabs under a huge cornice to a bolt. From the bolt — pendulum right onto a ledge under the wall. | Smooth slabs, poor relief |
| R4–R7 | Smooth, partially overhanging slabs to the right of the huge inner corner, leading to a rock "nose". On the "nose" — a ledge suitable for an overnight stay. | Difficult delicate climbing, aid climbing |
| R7–R8 | Along slabs — into a chimney. 25 m chimney, then — right onto a shelf R8. | Possible rockfall in the chimney |
| R8–R9 | Smooth slabs under an overhang. The overhang is passed "head-on" through a narrow wet crack. | Piton protection |
| R9–R10 | Left of a huge cornice — into a chimney. Exit onto its right wall. | Piton protection |
| R10–R11 | Along the top of the right wall of the chimney — to its end. Then — right onto a shelf. | Piton protection |
| R11–R12 | System of walls to the right of the inner corner. | |
| R12–R17 | Upper part of the bastion. Difficult delicate climbing along monolithic rocks. | |
| R17–R18 | Snow-ice knife with a slope of 40–60°. | Extreme concentration and caution required |
| R18–R19 | Narrow eastern ridge of Dalar, partially snow-covered. | |
| R19–R26 | Summit tower. |
Team's Tactical Actions
| Date | Weather Conditions and Route State | Team's Tactical Actions | Travel Hours | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 5, 2004 | Variable cloudiness | Started the route. Climbed 7 ropes to point R7. Overnight stay here. | 5 | G. Zinenko, P. Slyusar |
| August 6, 2004 | Sunny in the morning. Variable cloudiness in the middle of the day. Thunderstorm in the evening, continuing throughout the night. | Processed 5 ropes above the intermediate camp (section R7–R12). Descended to overnight stay in the intermediate camp R7. | 7 | G. Zinenko |
| August 7, 2004 | Fog until 11:00, then clear. Strong wind. After the thunderstorm — wet, partially icy rocks, fresh snow. Clear and windless in the evening. | Climbed along fixed ropes to point R12 and further — 5 new ropes to the snow-ice knife (point R17). Overnight stay at point R17 directly under the knife. | 8 | P. Slyusar |
| August 8, 2004 | Clear in the morning. Deteriorating weather from 10:00, severe thunderstorm at 13:00, hail the size of cherries, lightning strikes on Dalar and surrounding peaks. | Climbed the snow-ice knife, reached the eastern ridge, set up an intermediate camp under the summit tower at point R19. Already started towards the summit but were forced back by the thunderstorm. Forced bivy. Overnight stay. | 4 | G. Zinenko |
| August 9, 2004 | Thunderstorm continued until 2 am. Then strong fog and wind. Very cold. Much fresh snow. Summit tower was icy. | In the morning — dried out and recovered from the previous day's storm. Waited for the weather to clear up and the route condition to improve. Started the summit push at 13:00. Reached the summit at 16:00. Overnight stay at point R19. | 3 | P. Slyusar |
Start of the route (point R0)
Pendulum to point R4
Section of the wall above point R8
Conclusion
The team dedicates this ascent to the 45th anniversary of the "Uzunkol" alpine camp, which is being celebrated this year.
We express our gratitude and appreciation to the leadership and coaching council of the "Uzunkol" camp, represented by Director Enver Khabchaev and Head of the Training Department Ruslan Magomedov, for their help and support in implementing our project, as well as for kindly providing reports on the first ascents of V. Kavunenko's, B. Korablin's, and M. Warburton's routes from the camp's library.
We thank Vladimir Dmitrievich Kavunenko for his attention and useful consultation.
Sincere appreciation — to our selfless support group consisting of Elena Rudyachenko, Alexey Starkov, and Mikhail Starkov, who shared with us the work on organizing and carrying out the ascent, including cargo transportation, setting up the base camp, visual observation, and reliable radio communication with us on the wall and with the "Uzunkol" camp.
We also deeply thank everyone who waited for us, wished us good luck, and believed in our success.
Pavel Slyusar
Grigory Zinenko
